Re:The students are not taught that cokes are more nutrititious than milk.

but for young minds, isn't almost as bad to teach them that coke is more desirable than milk? or french fries are more desireable than baked potatoes?

Mc DooDoo's advertizes that it food is part of a healthy diet, and it could be, if you had big mac's once a month, but once a week, (or once a day?) unhealthy.

but before they can learn such fine points, they are bombarded with ads-- and when the ad become part of the school, its harder for kids not to believe all the information in the ads isn't true.

In NY McDooDoo's has school nights a two hour early evening school fundraiser, where money is donated to school based on sales for the two hours, and kids are encouraged to eat at McDooDoo's, and to get family and friends eat there at the specific day and time, all to benifit the school.. i suspect McDooDoo's benefits more.

>How many 5 year olds ask for a "tissue"? How many more ask for a Kleenex?

As an aside to the main point here - no, not in the UK, we hoover rather than vacuum but (I hesitate to use this word as someone is bound to have a different view) never call a tissue a Kleenex - although we do buy Kleenex tissues.

>>>So, whilst I would prefer that advertising was not wrapped up in teaching materials, I think that we should make children aware if the real world that they live in and arm them to deal with the bombardment of advertising that they will certainly face. <<<<Well said---Anyone can conceive a child and change the diapers--but to raise a wholesome, well-rounded kid is the parents main priority not the school, the corporate business, the community, or the church. While we need these to complete the circle, the family is the nucleus, and the parents are the root. Too many parents are sheltering their children from the real world or taking an apathetic stand and leaving it all up to someone else--while they just keep on making babies and having fun. Once again, what is wrong with the words, well-rounded, basic, middle of the road, and average. It has become too popular to be a superstar or an At-risk, ritalin, disabled (spec ed, LD or Behavior) labeled student. What is so wrong with just being a kid and a we want our kids to say NO to drugs, alcohol, porn, sex, candy, fast food, designer labels, but we are unwilling to say NO ourselves. Again I say Silkmuse is correct, and jmh, of troy and Jazz are very wise. And again along with reading "Fast Food Nation" please read "The Trouble with Perfect" by Elisabeth Guthrie, MDabout the many probs with overacheivment and pushing a kid, how to quit this, but still remain in control and enjoy being a parent and still raise a successful well-bred child. And the child benefits too, by again resumming his role of being a kid, not a little adult. Then he will be a superstar adult and contributing member of society. And Mc Ducks should be a special earned treat, not and every day breakfast, lunch and dinner. And don't blame the companies, because it is their job to make money so they can pay saleries, and yes, silkmuse--the poor schools apply to these companies, because the governments and the taxpayers are unwilling to fund and value education--don't they recognize that these kids are the future leaders of the world?

How many 5 year olds ask for a "tissue"? How many more ask for a Kleenex?

Like the Hoover/vacuum thing, the tissue/kleenex thing has become part of the language. I always call them kleenexes, but I don't think we ever had brand-name kleenex in our house. (They dissolve too easily.) Depending on the word, the brand name connection can eventually be lost, and then the word just means any of a group of similar products.

And I KNOW there's a word for this. We've done it on AWAD (the mailing list), too. Help!

"Today I'm discussing a phenomenon called genericide whereby a trademark becomes so popular that it is used as a generic for the entire product category, not just as a specific brand name." - TG&P Anu, 9/25/2000

Yeah, Bean - I don't see that as a part of this curriculum phenomenon either, FWIW.

My father was a patent/trademark lawyer, so I grew up with this and can confirm. The legal term of art used, when the legal protection of a trademark or tradename is thus lost, is that the word in question has become "generic".

Re: I also call them kleenex, but only buy Puffs. I call it Jello--but buy other brands. Interesting

interesting.. see, one of the things about me and words that okay isn't it? if i were taking about a person it would be ewein and i, not me and ewein, but about things, i can say me and words, right?is, i almost never use generic words for things-- consciously so.

i also tended not to use baby words with my kids (no boo-boos, and ba-bas, but cuts & abraisions, and cups or bottles)

i do, for effect, frequently use ain't, knowing full well its is non standard english. and i do sometimes say gunna (not going to) an i dunno, (instead of I don't know) but i do try not to let such things become a habit. we sometimes had chocolate chip cookies, but rarely toll house (nestles brand!) cookies.. we had cakes from a mix, not a betty crocker cake.. and we used shortning, (store brand, not crisco)

it was part of my thought process about words.. even before i had kids. So, corporate sponsership, and learning to equate orange juice with Minute Maid, and then the MM vending machine sells soda too, and lets get a coke.. to me its a slippery slope (thin end of the wedge, i think for our UK friends)

stay here a while, and i think you'll find about 50% of us have these personally type standards, and that we made an effort to have them. we have consciously fought the influences of our society, (while still remaining active memebers.) i happen to have tissues on my desk, and, by the way they are klennex! but i don't have any kleenex!

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